The First State Becomes Tenth State to Have No Child Left Behind Accountability Plan ApprovedOn Friday, Delaware became the tenth state to have its No Child Left Behind accountability plan approved by the U.S. Department of Education. U.S. Under Secretary of Education Gene Hickok traveled to Dover to make the announcement with Delaware Secretary of Education Valerie Woodruff. Rep. Mike Castle, in Washington for House of Representatives' business, demonstrated his support by way of a phone call to the event.

Following are quotes from the announcement, as reported in the Harrington Journal:

"Delaware can consider itself among the national leaders" [said Hickok]. "Their record and their attempt to match the challenges of No Child Left Behind demonstrates the importance of a strong accountability system and the use of data to improve instruction."

"This law is critical to the future success of our nation's children," Rep. Castle said. "No Child Left Behind and the new accountability requirements are milestones in the implementation of real education reform. We celebrate progress, and we reaffirm our faith in the promise of every student."